Page 33 of Treacherous

"It's not funny," I spluttered between coughs as I jumped up and paced the ground. "I could have internal bleeding. I could sever my bowel. Any number of things could happen to me."

"Calm down," he taunted. "Moving around could jostle it and cause it tosever…"

"Shut up," I screamed before kicking his mug – that had fallen to the ground during his assault of my mouth – at him. "This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?" I demanded as tears filled my eyes. "To get me back for damaging your car by murdering me."

Noah laughed and I wailed.

"Death from a kiss," I sobbed.

"Don’t worry," Noah taunted. "I'll give you the kiss of life."

"You've done enough," I spat. "You verbally attack me with that thing on a regular basis, but that's not enough for you, is it…oh no, since now I'm going to choke to death because you feel the need to put jewelry on it."

"Teagan, calm down."

"I hope it falls off you," I hissed before groaning. "Mortally wounded by a piece of metal that's touched other girl's genitals…." My stomach heaved. "I'm gonna be sick."

"Teagan, you are not going to die." Grabbing my shoulders with his hands, Noah held me still, moving his face from side to side until he caught my eye. "You're not dying, okay?" he said in a noticeably softer tone as he rubbed my arms with his surprisingly warm hands. "You didn’t swallow it."

I felt myself calming slightly and it became easier to breathe. "I didn’t?"

He shook his head slowly, eyes locked on mine before opening his mouth to reveal the evil silver ball, pride of place in the middle of his tongue.

"You asshole," I said with a gasp. "I almost had a heart-attack."

"Revenge is sweet," he chuckled, still grinning at me. "Happy Halloween, Thorn."

"Yeah," I spat before lifting my knee and ramming it into Noah's crotch. "You too, ass-bandit."

"You crazy bitch," he hissed as he dropped to his knees and groaned in agony.

"I hope it falls off you," I roared as I stalked back to my house. "And I don’t mean your tongue."

****

Noah

I was in a shitty mood by the time I made it to school. My lips were tingling and my tongue was throbbing.

What the hell had I been thinking – kissing that little fruitcake? She named her guitarMartinand talked to it like it was her favorite child for Christ's sakes.

You kissed that little fruitcake because she's the first person to set you on fire and make you feel something other than numbness…

Shaking my head, I tried to force all thoughts of Teagan out of my mind as I walked through the student parking lot, but the sight of her red Civic made it impossible.

My stomach sank when I saw who was standing beside Teagan's car, and it sank even further when I recognized what that someone was holding.

Oh shit…

****

Chapter 8

Teagan

I was seriously regretting kneeing Noah Messina in the balls this morning – not the biting his tongue part becausethathe had most definitely deserved, but I’d gone too far. Thankfully I hadn’t seen him all day, but I knew my good luck wouldn’t last forever. I felt on edge. He'd messed with my head by kissing me.

What the hell had that been about?

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